Conventionally, an image taking method is known by which, during an image taking process performed by a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, data is acquired in synchronization with a predetermined electrocardiographic waveform of the examined subject. Further, another image taking method is also known by which, similarly during an image taking process performed by a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, data is acquired from an image taking region after applying a pre-pulse that changes longitudinal magnetization of a nuclear spin into a negative value. By using this method, because the data is acquired at the time when the longitudinal magnetization of a predetermined tissue has recovered up to a level close to zero after the pre-pulse is applied, it is possible to obtain an image in which the signal value of the tissue is suppressed.
In this situation, when the abovementioned image taking process performed in synchronization with the electrocardiographic waveform is used together with the image taking process using the pre-pulse, when the cardiac cycle is disturbed by arrhythmia or the like, there may be seine situations in which the time at which the longitudinal magnetization of the tissue recovers up to the level close to zero is different from the time at which the data acquiring process is performed. In those situations, the acquired data may have inappropriate data mixed therein, and the quality of the generated image may be degraded.